It's raining again...

Yup, it's that time of year again...

For whatever reason this year nobody decided to try and fix any of the thousands of potholes on lagos' streets. So now that the wet season is in full swing, it's all fun and games trying to negotiate a path through foot deep water hiding mystery potholes.

Here's a few pics susan took last week after it had rained for a few days

This excerpt from a recent article in the local paper This Day says it all....

All around Lagos during this rainy season, from the highbrow Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi through the middle class suburb of Surulere to all the adjoining satellite towns in the mega city, the tale of woes by the residents, have remained the same. Flood has laid siege on residents and it has also compounded the already deplorable road network that transverse the sprawling city. It is not uncommon to experience or hear of terrible accidents or crimes perpetrated by urchins as a result of traffic snarls orchestrated by bad roads and floods on rainy days.

For anybody coming into Lagos for the first time, there are so many things that give the city a bad name. If it is not the heaps of refuse that liter the city or the unwelcome attention you get from area boys and armed robbers, it is the ubiquitous traffic jam most times caused by bad roads, flood or lawless motorists. Lately, one major challenge Lagosians have had to contend with is the poor condition of roads in the state made worse by the incessant downpour.

The rains have upped the ante on the debilitating road situation adding further misery to the plight of poor commuters who must get from one point to another to make ends meet. When it rains in Lagos, it is common to see hardship every where. Sometimes, cars are seen floating side by side with rubbish left behind by the numerous street hawkers who now govern almost every major city road. Vehicles become casualties of the flood, with stranded drivers and commuters seeking assistance from area boys who end up robbing these helpless victims. In truth, rain is not necessarily a bad thing at all. There are many places in the world where the inhabitants are literally praying for rain to fall. It's just that our leaders have managed to transform the heavenly blessings into a curse for residents.

The full article is at: http://allafrica.com/stories/200707091079.html